A doctor in Texas has admitted that he leaked a research paper to the manufacturers of controversial diabetes medication Avandia, shortly before the research was published, crippling the diabetic drug.
The research, now infamous, linked Avandia with higher risks of heart attack . According to scientific journal Nature, Dr. Steven Haffner, of the Health Science Center at University of Texas breached rules by passing the research paper to GlaxoSmithKline Plc.
The study, which caused untold damage to Avandia, linked the drug to a 43 per cent increase in heart attacks. Eventually, the Food and Drug Administration issued a strict safety warning.
Haffner was reported to have faxed a copy of the study to an employee of Glaxo . He reportedly commented: "Why I sent it is a mystery. I don't really understand it. I wasn't feeling well. It was bad judgment."
Diabetes study leak confirmed
Thu, 31 Jan 2008
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